“And in particular, crime centred around movable property, such as thefts of vehicles, and theft from vehicles, and garage B&E’s, break and enters, is a big concern of ours right now,” says Coughlan. “You can imagine, these bikes, probably their homes were inside a garage at some point.”

Coughlan has a few suggestions to help cut down on property crime.

“Our suggestion is, if you are keeping your bike in your garage, lock it within your garage, to your garage,” he says. “Other things we would suggest, obviously keep valuables out of sight, you’ve got to manage your property, cut down your shrubs, increase lighting, always get to know your neighbours, know who’s in and around in the neighbourhood.”

He adds you should also make a note of its serial number and take a photo, just in case it ever does get stolen, so you can prove ownership.

Photos of the bikes recovered from the chop shop are available at the EPS Pinterest page. If you believe your bicycle was among those which were recovered, you can contact an EPS hotline at 780-391-4569, or email at EPSPinterest@edmontonpolice.ca. (scb)